Earth Man (22 page)

Helen could see the change in Danny immediately. Most obvious was the fact he came through the door smiling; normally his adventures in the outside world, with or without superpowers, left him down and cranky. She
’d known Danny since he was a boy and as soon as he removed his helmet she could tell by his face that he was stoned. It made her want to burst out in laughter, he looked like a goofy kid with a smarmy grin plastered on his face, but she kept her amusement under control.

His good mood lasted longer than just a drug high however and Danny continued to be patient and attentive to the kids the rest of the evening. Helen listened attentively outside the bedroom as Danny sang to Morgan as he dried her hair and tucke
d her into bed. Helen couldn’t recall him ever singing to her, although he had sung to Raymond when he was a newborn. Of course he was singing her ‘Free Bird’ but it was the thought that counted, the words of the song didn’t matter it was the love between father and daughter that made her heart swell. Helen didn’t even try to hide her surprise when Ray hugged his father goodnight before heading off to his room. This was something that happened even less often than Danny’s lullabies. He entered the bedroom just as she put her jewellery away and she took a deep breath for courage and turned to face him.

“
Danny, are we in danger?” Helen asked.

Danny held one sock in his hand, leaning against the bed frame with the other. He seemed almost wounded by the question
, his eyes wide with indignation.

“
No of course not. Why would you think that?”

“
The way you’ve been acting since you got home. It’s a bit weird Danny. You’re acting like you’re never going to see us again.”

Once she said it, she knew she
’d been feeling that way all night and the tears sprang up in her eyes immediately. She pressed her palms hard into her eye sockets, desperate to keep them in, fighting it with all her spirit.

“
Helen everything is fine.” He said, walking towards her.

His voice sounded upset but not angry. Taking both
of her hands in his own, he lifted her hands up to meet his lips. He turned them slightly until he found her wedding ring and he kissed it softly. Even though her tears embarrassed her she returned his gaze as he looked into her eyes. She felt like her old high school self, drawn into his blue eyes and crooked smile. She laughed and rubbed his short cropped hair, pushing him back from her slightly and playfully.

“
I’d never let any harm come to you guys. Never. That’s one thing I won’t ever screw up Helen.” Danny said firmly.

She could only nod in response and then she reached out her hands and cupped his face. He responded by moving closer and they kissed. They took their time, kissing slowly
until Helen raised herself up on her toes and kissed Danny’s ear.

“
Let’s go to bed.” She whispered to him. It sounded more exhausted than sexy but he took her hand and led her to bed with the same eagerness he’d always had for sex. He gave her a child-like grin as he slipped his shirt up over his head. His body was the same as it had been when they started dating. As she ran her fingers along his abdominal muscles she was suddenly grateful for the fact he’d never really worked too hard. His body didn’t show the signs of stress and hardship some of the other men his age had; there was no beer gut, no back injuries, no receding hairline, not even a patch of dry skin. She was aroused by the fact her dry, tough hands were caressing her husband’s soft, supple skin. It worried her sometimes that he aged so well, she didn’t want to end up looking like his mother when they reached middle age. Yet she loved being the hard one, the tough one, she wanted to pamper and pleasure him for as long as she lived.

As his hands
ran up and down her body she undressed him and pushed him down on the bed. They made love with Helen on top, slowly and intimately. It was the kind of sex that required years of knowledge about each other, a slow burning and pleasuring that came from their trust and comfort. The bond between them strengthened and bloomed in those precious hours, fed by their passion and love for each other. For a moment Helen almost forgot the feeling of dread that had haunted her for weeks. Afterwards however, in the quiet darkness as they drifted off to sleep, there was a sliver of fear eating at her. She told herself that she was just being paranoid; even though he was in danger Danny was prepared for it. Just this one time, she told herself, she could choose to believe in him. What other choice did she have?

             
The next morning Helen smiled to herself as she slowly stirred her cup of coffee. The kids were eating their breakfast and while they were loud, she easily blocked them out. She was determined not to let them ruin her good mood; sex the night before had left her sore and tired but the afterglow made it all worthwhile.

The kids were arguing about something but it all seemed very far away, until Morgan suddenly shrieked at the top of her lungs. It scared Helen so muc
h she splashed her coffee all over the counter. How a child so small could scream so loudly, Helen didn’t know, but she turned angrily toward them and saw what had made her daughter shriek.

Danny stood in the kitchen in his motorcycle gear, the scary blac
k helmet on his head. Morgan stood in her chair and waved her arms at her father.

“
Take it off, Daddy! Take it
off
!!” Morgan screamed.

Helen picked up her coffee mug and put her other arm around her daughter to keep her from falling o
ff of the chair. Danny removed the helmet and placed it on the table. Morgan shoved it away from her, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“
Can I try it on, Dad?” Raymond asked, snatching it up.

Danny took a piece of toast of
f Ray’s plate and shoving it in his mouth, then gave the boy a nod of approval. Ray swept back his hair that hadn’t been cut since the summer and easily placed the large helmet over his face. Morgan scowled at him and turned away from the table.

“
It’s not scary on you Ray,” Morgan huffed, “You look like a bobble-head!”

“
You’re a bobble-head!” Ray said, raising his hands like a bogey-man. Morgan just turned farther away, curling into the back of the chair.

“
Mom
!” Morgan wailed.

“
Raymond leave your sister alone.” Helen said half-heartedly as Danny hugged her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

“
I’ve got a meeting with Dr. Glass today. I’m going to stop and get a shave and then I am off to San Diego.” Danny said.

“
San Diego? That’s going to take you forever.”

“
Not really. I move so quickly up there now, it’s amazing.” Danny said proudly.

“
Why so far though?”

“
Apparently they moved offices or something. I don’t know, he said he’d explain when I got there. I can’t discuss it in front of the kids anyway.”

Helen scowled
but said nothing.

“
You can shave at home?” She finally said.

“
I’ve never had a proper shave from a barber; I figured I’d see what it was like.”

Helen shook her head
no but she was teasing, it meant she could get that pedicure she’d always wanted. That might take some of the stiffness out of her hands.

“
Fine.” She said, drinking her coffee. “Get that hair cut too!”

Morgan shrieked and batted her hands at her brother like a little cat as he moved toward her with the helmet on. Danny took it off Raymond
’s head and messed up the boy’s hair.

“
Are you going to fight more aliens Dad?” Ray asked.

“
It’s a little more complicated than that, Ray. But. . .” Danny leaned over and whispered into his son’s ear.

“
I’m going to kick some alien butt!”

They waved goodbye as Danny headed for the door. Helen finished off her coffee as she closed the door behind him. He was already in t
he air before she’d locked it.

             
As Danny flew over the U.S. border he wondered if there was any way he could be caught for sneaking into the country. He was a bit worried that at any minute a helicopter was going to appear on the horizon armed to the teeth with missiles and machine guns. With his helmet in his hands, he flew low to the ground and enjoyed the feeling of the wind on his cleanly shaven face.

Danny seemed to fly in a state of partial consciousness, much like driving a car while tired.
When the sound of real gunfire broke the quiet morning it startled him, sending him into a spiral. He corrected himself in a split second and looked around. Below him was Osoyoos Lake and his gut told the gunshot echo must have come from U.S. customs, there was nothing else around.

He was there in a second, no more than a red flash in the sky, but he was wrong about the loca
tion of the crime. He saw the man running from the Duty Free Americas store from the sky. Wearing a balaclava on his face, the man looked like a stereotypical television criminal. He was a tall, lanky man, and he seemed to be wounded by the way he lurched forward, stumbling over himself. The scene was almost comical until a police officer burst out of the store behind him. Having already been shot at, the policeman had his gun ready. The robber turned, planted his foot, raised an assault rifle and opened fire. The cop went down hard from multiple wounds but the thief did not release the trigger. Instead he let the gun rip, tearing up the front of the store with bullets. Christmas lights along the windows popped as they were struck but fragments of debris. People screamed from inside the building and Danny knew he had to do something.

Horrified by
the recklessness of the robber he dropped straight down on top of him. Letting gravity take over forty feet above the shooter, he landed on the gunman with his full body weight. There was a loud cracking sound and the man crumbled beneath Danny’s boots. Two security guards pulled the wounded police officer back inside and Danny was inspired by their bravery. Tapping his helmet he saluted them and prayed that the wounded would be okay. A couple of senior citizens had been sitting on the bench outside the store and one of them appeared injured as well. Waving to them suddenly seemed ridiculous and he put his arm down. Stepping offthe shooter, a guard ran over and cuffed the unconscious man. Danny flew into the air as fast as he could. He hated leaving without doing more to help but he knew experienced paramedics were needed. It wasn’t like the comic books; people were frightened and afraid and a strange man in biker gear wasn’t going to make it any less traumatic. Without his intervention there could have been a lot more deaths and that was enough for him; he was too modest to even consider any form of compensation. Danny was the kind of man who did not believe helping someone in need made you a good person, it was basic human kindness, but he did believe that failing to help was a sign of poor character. He had helped and even though were wounded and dying, he felt good about his role in helping the police and security. At least he had done something, which was more than he’d ever done before.

‘
Maybe,’ he thought, ‘I can save the world.’

             
Danny no longer needed to duplicate the wings and abilities of the birds to fly; instead the red energy of the planet was channelled directly through him and he travelled as fast as a magnetic train. He was glad he’d bought the weird motorcycle helmet, it was incredibly streamlined and he felt like a rocket blasting through the sky. It also protected his head from the small bugs and other debris, although it was pretty clear and cold at twenty thousand feet in December.

He
kept his mind occupied as he flew by going over the scene in the parking lot; he was amazed at how fast he’d taken out the gunman. Flying was fun but he’d never considered it a way to help people, not unless you counted carrying them from place to place. Snowfall had asked him if he’d found it odd that he was so calm and accepting of everything. He hadn’t been, not at first, not back in the hospital, but ever since he’d gotten the power of the planet he’d been just sort of gone with the flow. It was if he was surfing a wave that was carrying him away and even though he was in great danger, the waters of unpredictability soothed him rather than scared him. He was settling into a new life, a dangerous life that was pushing him toward a beach he could not see.